Contact: Brittani Mattke, Director of Marketing Public Relations
bmattke@wisconsinart.org, 262.247.2266
MUSEUM OF WISCONSIN ART PRESENTS BUSINESS-FOCUSED
EXHIBITION OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Carl Corey: For Love and Money, April 25─July 27, 2014
(WEST BEND, WI) The Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) is proud to present Carl Corey: For Love and Money, an exhibition of photography on view April 25–July 27, 2014. A selection of 24 photographs from Hudson photographer Carl Corey’s latest body of work, the images capture the generation-old traditions of family-owned Wisconsin businesses that have been in operation for over 50 years and portray the small business way of life that has been so integral to local economies and Wisconsin’s social fabric. The exhibition is in conjunction with the launch of Corey’s new book, For Love and Money: Portraits of Wisconsin Family Businesses, published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press.
From pharmacies, jewelry and furniture stores, to diners, funeral homes, and breweries, For Love and Money honors the persistence of skill, pride, and endurance in the face of a rapidly-changing global economy. It is no secret that the last few years have been difficult for family-owned businesses in Wisconsin and across the US. While many have struggled, others have sadly failed. The reasons for survival and failure are as individual as the businesses themselves. What made the businesses in Corey’s photographs succeed is an interesting question.
Predominantly located in small communities, Corey’s subjects survive despite—or perhaps because of—globalization and the Internet. To patronize these businesses demands a mindset not entirely in sync with modern retail trends: few have an online presence and may rely completely on community involvement, personal relationships, and personalized customer service. When you deal with these businesses, you deal with the owner, often the creator of the product.
These businesses are throwbacks to the centuries-old trades system of guilds, learned skills, and knowledge passed down through generations. For example, in many of Corey’s images it is reassuring to see younger family members standing steadfast and proud in their places of work. Commitment to family and family businesses is not easy in an age when it has become the norm for younger generations to seek their fortunes further afield.
While the photographs of For Love and Money are all Wisconsin pictures, they are equally American pictures. For viewers of these images, the knowledge and familiarity of a local business—maybe even one within their own family—will strike a chord, prompting reflection, appreciation, or perhaps a sense of wistful loss over what has been slowly vanishing from the commercial fabric of American life.
Corey has exhibited widely in solo and group shows throughout the US and abroad. He has been the recipient of more than 100 awards including the Midwest Book Publishers Association’s Crystal Award for Best Photography Book, the USA National Best Photography Book, and the Addy Gold, among many others. His work has also been featured in some of photography’s most prestigious periodicals, including Camera Work Bicentennial Edition, Communications Arts, Columbia Journalism Review, and Visual Communication Quarterly.
Other books by Corey include Tavern League: A Portrait of the Wisconsin Tavern (Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2011) and Rancher (Bunker Hill, 2007). His photographs have also been featured in New York: A Photographer’s City (Rizzoli, 2011).
“Corey’s images are at once humbling and hopeful,” said Laurie Winters, MOWA Executive Director | CEO. “In some ways these photographs may be good for the type of businesses featured: viewers may be reminded to renew their patronage of a long-standing local firm, rather than go to a big box retailer.”
